A Story Worth Repeating

"Little Herbie" Maney with brother Homer's '39 Mercury convertible

How I got the name "Herb". When my brother Homer, Jr. returned from the service in 1946, he had not seen me since I was two years old. "Little Herbie" was a very popular comic strip at the time and was made available to the soldiers in their newspaper.

Little Herbie had a blond tuft of hair on the top of his head, not unlike the hair I was sporting at the time. When Homer Jr. first saw me, upon his return, he said, "there's Little Herbie"! Hence, I still retain that moniker to this day, and have even passed it on to our eldest son, as "Herbie".

- Herb Maney

More Photos From Planning Meeting

Chairman HerbManey sporting hand-stitched "Clearfield 59" cap sent in by Patsy McCoy Livelsberger

Tom O'Day and Rudy Schrot (St. Francis)

Proposed Chippendales entertainment sent in by Peggy Jo Knepp Thompson. See if you can spot two new members of the group.

Joyce Shugarts Undercofler, Tom O'Day, Orvis Kline, Judi Rolley White and Wilbur Shirey

Judi Rolley White and Sue Weisshaus Speicher

Joanne Shimel Magnuson and Penny Hile McCracken

- Photos by Karl Nagle

Final Planning Meeting A Great Success

PLANNING GROUP - Attending and contributing at the final planning meeting for our 50th-Year CAHS Class Reunion were: Front Row - Joyce Moody Fletcher, Joyce Amon Michaels, Chairman Herb Maney, Joyce Shugarts Undercofler and Suzanne Sherkel Nagle. Standing - Wilbur Shirey, Linda Smith Dale, Penny Hile McCracken, Joanne Shimel Magnuson, Dennis Mollura, Orvis Kline, Tom O'Day, Judi Rolley White and Rudy Schrot (St. Francis High Class of '59). Missing from photo is Susan Weisshaus Speicher, who had to leave early to catch a plane.

- Photo by Chief Photographer Karl Nagle

Highlights of the Meeting:

It's been a great several years of reuniting, planning and joviality, and now we enter the final weeks heading into our 50th-Year CAHS/St. Francis Class Reunion. The meeting on June 6 at the Shaw Library in Clearfield was well attended by 14 classmates and Rudy Schrot, representing the St. Francis High Class of 1959.

Reunion Attendance - As of the meeting date, we had 156 class members and guests signed up for the reunion, with a number of confirmed (but as yet unpaid) classmates known to be attending.

Sue Speicher's Class Booklet - One of the major highlights was a preview of our Class of '59 Information Booklet spearheaded and directed by Sue Weisshaus Speicher. It's a knockout! You won't believe how professional and creative it is. Sue flew in from Florida to attend the meeting and deliver the preview in person. We owe her a huge debt of gratitude for all her planning, designing and rounding up the photos and materials from a sometimes reluctant group of classmates.

Judi Rolley White gave a preview of the decorations to be placed around the St. Mary's Church Hall in Frenchville. Not content with mere rosebuds in a vase, Judy has rounded up a multitude of memorabilia from our high school years. Our thanks to Judi! She's a dynamo that won't stop until the last curtain falls on a great time for everyone.

Merlyn "Little Herbie" Maney guided the meeting with his usual balance of patience and no-nonsense precision. Our thanks to Herb for a fine job over these years of keeping the planning group focused on the tasks at hand. Herb somehow always manages to keep the meeting on course when everyone else seems intent on kibitzing.

Joyce Amon Michaels reviewed the food planning and also took on the task of honcho-ing the dessert contributions, which are to be donated by class members. Many thanks, Joyce! Lots of yummy treats on the way.

Karl Nagle, spouse of Suzi Sherkel Nagle, promised to deliver four wet-bottom shoo-fly pies. We are keeping score, Karl.

Wil and Karen Shirey presented a beautiful, wood-framed Memoriam to our "Class of '59 Deceased Class Members," which will be displayed at the reunion. Thanks, Wil and Karen. Great job, as always.

Patsy Livelsberger McCoy sent in a beautifully hand-stitched "Clearfield 59" baseball cap for Herb Maney in recognition of his fine job of leading the planning group. Photos of Herb in cap on the way.

Penny Hile McCracken reviewed plans for the bus tour of Clearfield. While the meeting was progressing, the ever-versatile Karl Nagle wrote a suggested tour guide script. Karl, as you may know, knows about buses and bus trips. All strictly professional, of course. Karl's spent some time with Fullington Auto Bus Company of Clearfield

Peggy Jo Knepp mailed in, via Joyce Moody Fletcher, a slightly altered photo of the Chippendales, who are lobbying hard to provide the entertainment at the reunion. Don't believe we'll take them up on this one. Watch for more on this one in future postings on this blog.

CAHS Class of '59 Blog - Tom O'Day suggested that the group consider providing printed copies of the blog as a memento and as information for classmates who don't have access to a computer. The blog came in for its share of kudos from those attending.

Joyce Moody Fletcher - Everyone agrees that the MVP of our entire effort is our own relentless, untiring, and unstoppable Joyce Moody Fletcher. While Herb keeps the meetings on course, Joyce keeps the entire effort on track. As we've said before, Joyce has worked tirelessly (and mostly alone) for many years to keep the knowledge, the records and the spirit of Clearfield Area High School alive - not only for the Class of 1959 but also the Golden Bison Alumni Association.

If you ever attended Clearfield Area High School, she has a record of it. If you've ever been "lost"or "gone missing," she'll track you down. And if you've ever died, well, she has a record of that, too. Thanks, Joyce, for all you do.

- Dennis Mollura